Wildorado boys basketball team keeps rolling along with win over Memphis
The Wildorado boys basketball team continued its torrid start to the season Tuesday night with a 76-38 win over Memphis. That win moves the Mustangs to 10-0 on the season that's going just about as well as they could've asked for.
Wildorado is 16th in the latest 1A TABC rankings. A returning core of Swayde Cleavinger and Hunter Corman has kept the good times rolling, while continued strong play from Braddek Darnell and Blu Washington has aided the cause, as well. Toss in the addition of Vega transfer Logan Mason and you've got one heck of a team.
"We were actually down a player today and I was interested to see how well our team stepped up as a whole," Wildorado coach Kellan Kirkland said. "I thought we did (step up big)."
Tuesday was another excellent team effort in a season full of them. Corman put up 18 points, Darnell and Washington each had 17 and Cleavinger had 10. Mason didn't play Tuesday, but put up 22 points twice last week. The balance of offensive options has allowed the Mustangs free range with the ball through the first 10 games of the season.
"One of our mottos is 'Play hard, play smart and play together,'" Kirkland said. "We do that every game and every practice. We love seeing each other succeed and that showed tonight because we had several players in double digits."
Of course, having someone who had success as a starter at the 2A level in Mason helps as well. Make no mistake, though, this year has been all about the group mindset.
"(Mason) is a very skilled player," Kirkland said. "He's got very good size and very good strength. He was a very good addition to our team, but our team as a whole was already pretty good. Bringing in a kid like that was just awesome."
Wildorado is slated to take part in the Tulia Tournament later in the week. Kirkland knows exactly what he'd like to see from his team moving forward.
"I like our defense," Kirkland said. "It's not quite where we want it to be but we're getting there. Our shooting is improving and we shot well tonight. I'd like to see it at a little bit better of a percentage. We still have to work on blocking out and rebounding, but I'm loving where we're at. The effort's there, the hearts there so I'm happy."
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Wildorado boys basketball keeps rolling along with win over Memphis
